Recreation Rentals of the Pacific Northwest

US Forest Service

Map of Forests

Bureau of Land Management

Oregon and Washington

National Park Service

North Cascades

Peterson Prairie Guard Station - Washington

Gifford Pinchot National Forest

History

Peterson Prairie Guard Station was built between August and December, 1926, by District Ranger Harvey A. Welty and Forest Guard Eilert Skaar, with some help from Forest Supervisor Harry White and other staff. The "new" cabin was built to replace a deteriorated log cabin erected by homesteader John Peters in 1890, and abandoned after his first winter at the site. The Forest Service used the old Peters cabin as one of their first ranger stations in the area. Peters built his cabin along the old "McClellan Trail" used by Captain George B. McClellan during his 1853 railroad survey. Traces of the old McClellan trail are still visible near the Peterson Prairie Guard Station.

In his diary for October 1926, Ranger Harvey Welty listed the equipment stored at Peterson Prairie Guard Station at the end of the season: "2 riding saddles, 2 riding bridles, chaps, 6 halters, blankets for saddles, 1 sledge (#8), 1 double-bitted axe, 1 gas lantern, 1 kerosene lantern, 1 lamp stand, 1 gas lantern pump, 1 gas lantern wrench, 1 heating stove, 1 Colonial Jr. stove, 1 6 1/2 ft. falling saw, 2 saw handles, 1 grind stone." It was nearing the end of the era of the horseback rangers.

Description

The three room rustic cabin, with a covered front porch, cozies up beneath a dense canopy of Douglas-firs. It features a bedroom with a double bed, a small kitchen area, and living room with two futon couches and a fireplace/wood stove insert. There is also propane lighting and heating throughout. The kitchen is equipped with a two-burner propane cook top, pots and pans, dishes and utensils, as well as a dining table and four chairs.

From Memorial Day through Labor Day, water is available at the nearby Peterson Prairie Campground. No water is available during the winter months, and visitors must bring plenty for drinking, cooking and washing. A new vault toilet is located twenty feet from the cabin.

Area Attractions & Activities

Hiking, biking, fishing, hunting, and mushroom and huckleberry picking activities are abundant during the snow-free months (typically June through October). The Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail, Indian Heaven Wilderness, and Mt. Adams Wilderness are all within easy driving distance, offering miles of trails and beautiful scenery.

Atkisson Sno-Park is approximately 2 1/2 miles from the Guard Station and serves as a portal to the Forest’s network of 95 miles of groomed snowmobile trails. There are also three signed, ungroomed cross-country ski loops from the Atkisson Sno-Park, offering loop opportunities of 4 to 11 miles.

Amenities

• Vault Toilet
• Water (summer only)
• Propane Lights
• Propane Heater and Cook Stove
• Fireplace

No additional camping is allowed on the site.

Pets

No pets permitted on site.

Smoking

No smoking allowed on site.

Directions

From Interstate 84 take the Hood River/White Salmon exit (Exit 64) and cross the toll bridge to Washington State. Turn left onto Washington State Highway 14, heading west for 1.5 miles to the "Alternative Highway 141." Turn right and follow along the White Salmon River until the junction with Highway 141. Continue north on Highway 141 for approximately 25 miles to the town of Trout Lake. Continue past the Mt. Adams Ranger Station office for approximately 5 miles to the Atkisson Sno-Park. (Signs to the Sno-Park are posted in the winter.) Park here when there is snow on the ground and ski, snowshoe, or snowmobile approximately 2.5 miles to the cabin, (located about 1/2 mile past the first entrance to the Peterson Prairie Campground on the south side of the road) following Forest Service Road 24.

Warning

During the winter months the weather can change abruptly. Visitors should come prepared with extra provisions for an extended stay in case the weather delays their departure. Two feet of snow falling overnight is not uncommon. The Forest Service does not plow the road to the cabin.